The Great Deception
by dramaticangel17
Summary: Alexei lives a normal life. She's the most popular girl in Summdale High and has the handsome star quarterback, Spencer, as her boyfriend. But when she encounters what could be the father missing from her life, Danny Phantom, the deceptive veil is lifted from reality, and she realizes she had been living a lie. (Full summary inside!)
1. Awakening

Full Summary: Alexei lives a normal life. She's the most popular girl in Summdale High and has the handsome star quarterback, Spencer, as her boyfriend. But when she encounters what could be the father missing from her life, Danny Phantom, the deceptive veil is lifted from reality, and she realizes she had been living a lie. Surrounded by strangers she doesn't know, who are her enemies, Alexei isn't sure who to trust, for they may be part of the dreaded Prilumi cult.

**A/N: Hi, everybody! I'm dramaticangel17, and this is my first fanfic. I've always adored Danny Phantom, which is why I want to keep his story alive through fanfiction, just like you all. Since this is my first fanfic, please go easy on me in your criticism. Mainly, I would love for you to enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoy writing it. Meet Alexei Fenton, the daughter of Danny Phantom, and go through the trials that she endures, the pain, the anguish, the anger, the frustration, the joy that she experiences. I hope this fanfic will be an adventure for you!**

**Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Danny Phantom characters; Butch Hartman owns them.**

* * *

The Great Deception

Chapter 1: Awakened

"We can't kill her."

Hushed voices were in the room, surrounding me. They sounded so distant as if I was underwater. I was vaguely aware of my body lying on my back on a cool, hard surface, and the room was utter darkness. Attempting to squirm, I quickly found that something rendered me immobile.

"Why not?" another indistinguishable voice argued. "She's a threat to our world."

The first voice responded cooly, "Later, yes, we'll kill her, but for now we'll use her as bait."

Bait? What on earth did they mean?

I listened as best as I could, but the voices seemed to grow further and further away until silence overwhelmed me.

* * *

Someone shook me awake from a dream that lasted for eons. "Rise and shine, Alexei!" a cheerful voice loudly proclaimed.

I groaned from under my sheets, pulling the warm covers up over my head. My enemy grabbed the covers away from me, but I clung to them for dear life, eyes still shut. "Let go," I grumbled. I could see the golden orange tint of my closed eyelids, indicating that the room's light was on.

The voice chuckled. "Now, Alexei, you don't want to be late for the first day of your senior year, do you? I suggest you get moving."

"But Mom!" I protested groggily, persisting in my tug-o-war over the bedcovers.

"Really, hon, you're too old for me to keep waking you up every morning. When will you start using your alarm clock again?" I imagined my mother placing her hands on her hips, yet I was too tired to open my heavy eyelids to see her.

"But I'm so tired," I whined. "I don't want to got to school." I groped around for the big, fat, fluffy pillow and hid my head underneath it.

I imagined my mother raising her eyebrow from her silence, as she always did when I behaved like a five-year-old. "And miss seeing your friends and boyfriend?"

"Spencer!" My eyes snapped open, and I shot out of bed as if I had downed five cups of coffee. I could hear Mom laughing behind me as I threw on a casual minidress folded carefully on the love seat near the walk-in closet. I raced into the bathroom to wash my face, dry my hair, which was still damp from my nightly shower, and apply makeup. I didn't forget to take my Louis Vuitton bag when I went out the bedroom door, down the steps, and into the kitchen to grab a muffin from the freezer.

"I'm going now!" I called to wherever my mom could be. Probably in the laundry room. "Bye!"

"Drive safely!" she answered from upstairs.

"I will!"

* * *

Here we were, Summdale High, our school mascot the Cobras. Next year I would be going off to college. I still had some college visiting to do before I made up my mind where I wanted to go. I closed the door to my white Porche and adjusted the strap of my bag, anxiously flipping my hair over my shoulder.

Wow! I couldn't believe it! I was a senior this year! Mom often chided me, "You're almost a senior. When are you going to learn how to be responsible?" Sorry, Mom, I didn't want to learn how to do laundry and ironing just yet.

As I strutted through the glass double doors of the school, I spotted some nerdy-looking kids huddled around one guy on the floor with a computer. "Hi!" I waved my hand cheerfully as I passed. They glanced up at me in bewilderment, not used to being addressed by a girl out of their league.

I entered the office to receive my schedule, since I forgot to print out a copy of it sent to my email. I often didn't get things done until the last minute, and if I rushed in the morning nothing was completed.

"Thank you. Have a nice day!"

"You, too!" the woman behind the desk spoke pleasantly as I left.

I followed a crowd of kids into the small English class. When I saw some of my best friends already seated, legs crossed over the other like the lovely ladies they were, my lips spread into an excited beam. Maybe senior year wouldn't be as bad as I expected it to be. I had my friends to back me up. And whisper to during class lectures.

The teacher was a tiny Chinese woman with large glasses. She wrote on the board her name as she spoke slowly, "my name is Rachel Wu. Today—"

At that point I stopped listening and turned eagerly to Shelby and Meg, two pretty girls with long blonde hair. People often referred to me as night, while they were day, due to my ebony hair sharply contrasting with their golden locks. "Hey, guys! How are you? I haven't seen you all summer!" I whispered.

"Good." They nodded their heads. "I went to Paris with my family this summer," boasted Meg.

"Yeah, and I went on a cruise to the Caribbean islands," Shelby piped up.

"You did? Lucky!" I punched my fists discretely in the air so that Mrs. Wu couldn't see and said, "I went to Wisconsin for a family visit for two months. It was incredibly boring!"

"Aww!" The two blondes looked at me in sympathy. I nodded my head morosely, jutting out my lower lip dramatically. "So what did you guys do on your trips? Tell me everything! I didn't do anything interesting at all."

Meg looked at Shelby. "You can go first," she whispered politely.

Shelby nodded. "Sure! I went to Belize, Honduras, the Cayman Islands, and Cozumel, Mexico. I brought back some souvenirs, so whenever we go to my house I'll show them to you."

"Ooh!" I squealed. "What are they?"

"Not telling." Shelby smirked, a sparkle in her large azure eyes.

My shoulders slumped. "Aww, come on!"

"Later," she giggled.

I pouted and waved her away with a flick of my wrist. "How boring." I turned my full attention on Meg, smiling sweetly. "And how was Paris?"

"Fabulous, of course! I got my picture taken by a nice lady in front of the Eiffel Tower. I posted it on Instagram. Did you see?"

"I saw!" Shelby nodded with wide eyes. "I'm so jealous of how you can be so photogenic."

I laughed louder than I intended, and Mrs. Wu glowered at me from behind her spectacles. "Is there something funny you would like to share with the class, Miss Fenton?"

I stared back with a mortified grin on my face. "No, not really. I was thinking about my Pomeranian's cuteness. His name is Dreidel, and he loves to steal socks."

The teacher shot me a weird look. "Okay? Well, you should not be daydreaming, especially on the first day of school."

"I'm sincerely sorry," I stated, not apologetic at all. When the teacher turned her attention away from me and proceeded to drone about what we were going to cover in English, I whispered to my two friends, "I am so not photogenic. In just about every picture I have my eyes closed, and my forehead is too shiny."

Meg rolled her eyes in disbelief. "That's not true."

"Yeah, so not true. It's the camera flash's fault," Shelby agreed. "Besides, people are going for the dewy look nowadays."

"So it's my fault?" I had to clarify, since what the girl said seemed to contradict.

"No, it's the camera's fault."

"You just said I had a dewy face," I accused, pointing an index finger at her.

Meg snickered from behind her well-manicured hand. "You do, but what she means is that the camera flash reflects off the shine of your face, making it shinier than it really is."

"Well, that just sucks!"

Shelby grinned and leaned closer as if about to share a secret. "Hey, I heard from Spencer that he's dying to see you."

I knitted my eyebrows together in puzzlement. "Why would he be dying to see me? We saw each other several times over the summer, and he never failed to call me every night."

Meg pretended to be hurt. "Seriously? But he loves you!"

My face burned. The whole room suddenly felt hot. "That's so sweet of him. I love him, too."

* * *

When class was over, there he was standing against the wall with hands in his black leather jacket pockets. I loved his jacket; it gave him a bad boy appearance, and I also adored his dark brown eyes and curly brown hair. His brows were furrowed in thought, but when he saw me his eyes lit up, and a beautiful beam spread across his face.

"Alexei." His voice was so sexy, and it sent shivers down my spine.

"Spencer," I replied. I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

"How's it going?" he asked, busily catching a stray stand of my hair and tucking it behind my ear.

I felt my heart flutter. "Great!"

He cleared his throat and tilted his head to the side. "We've been dating for over a year now. I think it's time we do something exciting after school today. It's only a half day, after all."

"Where to?" I asked. "I'm sure Mom will approve."

"Let's go to the amusement park. I'll pick you up after lunch at your house."

"See you then!"

He smirked then leaned down to kiss me. I raised on the tips of my toes to feel his soft lips gently meet mine. Our mouths moved against each other in harmony. Somehow, my fingers found themselves tangled in his thick hair, and I felt his hand lightly resting over my butt.

I was the first to break the kiss. "Got to go. I have math next."

I was about to leave but felt a strong hand grab my wrist. He chuckled. "Silly, did you not think that I might have the same class as you? You didn't bother to ask, did you?"

I shyly met his eyes once more. "Want to walk together?"

"Most definitely."

We reached the math classroom, and Spencer held the door open for me like the chivalrous gentleman he was. We sat down next to each other, hardly listening to the teacher talk.

"Speaking of the amusement park," he began quietly, "would you like to try out that new roller coaster ride that opened up? I heard it got a five star rating."

"I'd love to," I breathed.

"Good." He winked. "You don't have to bring money with you. I'll pay for it all."

"Really? Thank—"

The lights flickered.

And then the room went dark.

A disembodied deranged laughter emitted in the air like nails on a chalkboard. "I am Technus, master of all technology! I have come with hundreds of ghosts to steal the daughter of Danny Phantom!" The lights turned on again, and we heard the door click.

"Did the door just lock?" a student asked.

"I am the Box Ghost!" A different ghostly voice bellowed. The head of a transparent middle-aged man popped up through the carpet floor.

Everyone began shrieking, racing for the door. It was locked to no avail. What I assumed to be first ghost, a genius-looking man with wild hair, dark shades, and a lab coat, appeared from the ceiling and cackled.

Strangely, I didn't feel afraid. In fact, I felt a foreign nostalgia as if I've encountered ghosts before when I've never seen them in my entire life. What was this feeling? I whipped my head to look at the curly-haired star quarterback, who was still sitting calmly in his seat. I wanted to ask why he wasn't running like the rest of the people in the room but was taken aback by his hard gaze directed at me.

The teacher and all the rest of the students were no longer screaming. They were now staring at me as if waiting to see what I would do.

Huh? What was going on?

"There she is, the whelp's daughter!" A large flaming figure, followed by a multitude of specters poured into the room from a wall. Desks began to rise in the air and smack into the poor teacher and students, who screamed once again.

"No! Leave them alone!" I yelled, foreign irritation bubbling from within me.

"You," boomed the deep voice belonging to the flaming figure. "You're coming with us." The fiery metal skull seemed oddly familiar.

"Who are you?!" I cried.

"My name is Skulker." With that he raised a gun and shot a net at me, which the force knocked me out of my desk chair. I tried to stand but realized I was trapped in the glowing net.

"Spencer!" I yelled, feeling panic rising due to my helplessness in the situation. A glance at him caused me to see that he was wrestling with a blob-shaped ghost. Several ghosts soared and dived in the room, laughing manically and mentally torturing the humans.

His head turned as the apparition called Skulker strode over and hauled me over his shoulder. "Alexei! Don't worry, I'll save you!" His hand reached out, but we moved away. As we were about to phase through the wall, I squeezed my eyes shut and tensed my muscles. Skulker must have felt my tension, for he rolled his glowing green eyes and halted. "You're not going to collide with the wall, foolish girl. I'll phase us both out of this prison."

"Spencer!" My helpless shouts reached deaf ears as we burst through the wall. The ghost and I were outside, and all was tranquil. No more fearful shrieks. A warm breeze caressed my face. Skulker said nothing as he carried my netted form like a sack of potatoes, floating through the air. His speed gradually quickened, and the air blew my hair forward to conceal my sight.

"Where are you taking me?" I hissed. I was surprised at myself. I couldn't understand why I wasn't terrified that I was being kidnapped.

The apparition's response was terse and befuddled me even more: "to your father."

"What do you mean 'to my father?' I don't have a father. He died in a car wreck when I was young!" My squirming was fruitless, but I wasn't going to lie limp over his shoulder. I wanted to fight.

I couldn't see with my hair whipping in my face, but I could hear the mocking tone in Skulker's voice. "You're only part right. The whelp is half dead—like you."

"Like me?" I was incredulous.

"What do you think?"

"Wait, what?" I needed to sort out the scrambled thoughts in my mind. "Wait, it's not possible to be half dead. Either people are alive or dead. They can't be both."

The ghost laughed in derision. "Well, I guess halfas like you and your father made it possible."

I was speechless. And confused. Nevertheless, I was silent until our speed decelerated, and we began to lower in the air. I looked down with eyes as wide as saucers at the view of Amity Park's building rooftops. Paranoia struck me at whether or not I was going to be dropped.

We landed in an alleyway somewhere isolated. "Your father is waiting for you here," Skulker informed me in an unfriendly tone. He tossed me carelessly to the ground and his robotic arm morphed into a chainsaw.

My eyes bulged. "You're not going to kill me, are you?!"

The rotating chainsaw inched closer and closer.

I scooted away as best I could in a frenzy. "Get away from me!"

The chainsaw halted in its tracks. Skulker rolled his eyes once more. "I am not going to kill you. I'd love to hang your head on my wall, but your father wants to see you alive. So, I'm going to free you from my net."

"Oh." My voice dropped. I reluctantly allowed him to slice the net, but I moved as far away as possible, worried that I'd accidentally become mincemeat, as well.

Once I struggled through the sliced opening and brushed myself off, I raised my head to say something to Skulker, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Skulker?"

Silence answered me. I tip-toed through the dark alleyway, almost fearful to disturb it.

"Skulker?" I tried again, hesitantly.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of bright light.

I whirled around only to find a man with hair as dark as mine and piercing blue eyes filled with a deep sadness. "He's no longer here." His voice was wrought with emotion.

"Are you my father?" I inquired with uncertainty.

"Yes."

I tried to swallow the lump that was forming in my throat. "Were you the father that died in that car accident?"

The man fell to his knees and spread his arms as if he wanted to reach out for me. "Alexei, I'm here."

"You're a ghost, right?" I cried. "You died! You're dead!"

The man who claimed to be my father squinted at me as if he thought I was spewing nonsense. "What? I never died in any accident. What are you talking about?"

My face grew hot, and my eyes welled up with tears. "But Mom said you died."

"Come here, Alexei." The man's voice wobbled slightly as he spoke as if he was suppressing the urge to cry. I moved into his embrace, and we held each other tight. "Your mom would never lie to you. That doesn't sound like Sam."

"Sam? My mom's name is Denise."

"Who's Denise?" he warily asked.

"My mom." Now I was mystified. Didn't he just claim to be my father?

His cobalt-blue eyes narrowed, and he was silent for a moment. "Where do you go school?"

I blinked. "Summdale High?"

"You're supposed to be at Casper High," he said roughly. His hands lightly held my forearms. "And the mascot?"

"The Cobras?"

The man dropped his grip on me with an audible gasp. His body shook as if he was in agony. "They have you. No wonder our stories don't match."

"Who has me?" I exasperatedly flew my hands in the air.

"The Prilumi. It's a large cult that continues to grow and believes that ghosts and we halfas are demonic. They seek to eradicate any and all trace of us. That flash of light you saw came from me in my transformation to my human half."

My voice was barely a whisper. "So that's what it was."

In a burst of brightness, twin rings shot away from his torso, and I stood face to face with a ghostly form of my father. His dark hair had turned white as snow, and his blue eyes were now a glowing green. The specter wore a black and white hazmat suit with the insignia of a "D" on his chest.

I lost my voice.

"My name is Danny Phantom. You, too, have the powers of a ghost, though I assume you've forgotten to summon them. The Prilumi messed with your memories. It's obvious." Hatred dripped from his tone, although it wasn't directed at me. Danny growled, raising his chin toward the sky, "Alexei, we will win in the end of this game called Life. I promise you. I'm going to possess your mind and hopefully salvage your memories of everything."

"You're going to do what?"

"We don't have much time. They're out searching for you, I'm sure. And me." His voice darkened.

He bent his knees before pouncing into my forehead. All was dark until the first image came to my mind: the living room. Everything was so big, and I looked down at my tiny, young hands tugging at what I perceived to be my mom's skirt and my dad's pant leg. I peered up with a huge grin on my face and saw a man with black hair and blue eyes smile lovingly down at me. A woman with shoulder-length ebony hair was lighting a menorah on the wooden dresser.

Hanukkah.

Another memory flashed to my vision, and then another. And another. The images blurred with the billions of memories resurfacing.

And my vision cleared. Dad was standing with concern in his eyes before me. My vision blurred with tears. I choked out, "Dad. It's you."

Dad's ethereal green eyes moved toward the entrance of the alleyway, startled. "I need to go," he muttered.

"No! Please don't go!" My voice shook with overpowering emotion. It felt as if my throat was being squeezed.

"I love you." He became intangible and sunk into the ground.

My heart felt as if it would explode. I collapsed, unable to bear the overwhelming pain that I was feeling. "Please," I mouthed, eyes squeezed shut. The salty droplets came cascading down my cheeks.

But he was gone.

"Alexei?"

I turned my head to see my boyfriend step over to me. No, this guy, who called himself Spencer, was not my real boyfriend. I didn't know who he was. He was probably a spy for the Prilumi assigned to watch my every move. The Prilumi, who had captured and confined me for months, suppressed my true memories and installed false memories that weren't my own.

I faced my enemy, anger and betrayal raging in my heart, but most of all anguish. I was anguished that I had been fooled, anguished that they were solely keeping me alive to use me as bait to find my father, who left me to go into hiding. I truly despised this guy.

I despised _them_.

"Spencer," I sobbed into his chest, failing to force a smile onto my face. Inside, I wanted to shriek, "who are you? Where's my mother? You're not who you say you are!" However, I bit my lip and said nothing.

My enemy hugged me so hard that it hurt. "Alexei," he repeated, face gravely serious, almost threatening, "we need to talk."

* * *

**A/N: Awesome! My first fanfic chapter! What did you all think? I'm sure I have some room for improvement, but, nevertheless, I had a blast writing this chapter.**

**Reviews returned!**


	2. Lying Lips

**A/N: Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for the nice reviews, guys! You make me feel like my story is worth writing for you all! I am inspired to continue, and it is a pleasure to keep you entertained. I'll try to be as consistent as possible with my updates and update a chapter every week. If I can't, I'll update every week and a half or two weeks. Stay tuned. :)**

**Friday the 15th was my 18th birthday. Woohoo!**

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Chapter 2: Lying Lips

The enemy gripped my shoulder as we moved, and we glided like phantoms in the night. We were silent as death. The tension rolled thick in the atmosphere, and it suffocated me. My heart pounded wildly. It was as if I was being guided by the executioner, by _him_, toward the guillotine. Or perhaps I was being sweetly tempted by Satan, himself, to leap off a cliff or wade into frothing waters.

"So," he began, eyeing me suspiciously. My heart was seized with fear. "What do you have to say for yourself?" His grip never loosened.

I attempted to sound nonchalant, but goosebumps prickled along my skin. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Spencer's smile was forced. He tried to seem concerned, but I knew his true colors. "What happened while you were, ah, gone?"

"I-I'll tell you when we get back to school. I'm still in shock." I sniffed, wiping my cheeks dry. I needed to stall for as long as I could in order to think. I needed to plan on how I was going to respond, for it wouldn't be safe to mention me meeting with my father. What if Spencer really was part of the Prilumi? This stranger was someone I doubted I could trust. I needed to observe his behavior with caution.

We stared at each other, his gaze impassive. What was he thinking? The unknown drove me crazy. Did he suspect me? Most likely, yes.

I could feel his eyes bore right through my soul.

I never broke our gaze. In my false memories, inserted into my mind by the Prilumi, Spencer was my boyfriend. We've dated for a long period of time. But in reality I've only met him for not even an entire day after being unconscious for months. Thanks to Dad, I could now discern between fact and fiction. Truthfully, I wasn't positive what happened between the time span of my capture and the time I woke up in a deceptively ordinary world. All I recalled was a gas mask placed over my mouth and nose, which sent me into a deep, dreamless sleep.

How did I know months passed? In my haste to get ready for school my eyes flitted over to the calendar on the wall on my way out of the bedroom. August 26th circled in red ink glared at me. I had been seized in April, although I could not remember the day of my capture.

The safest way to protect my father and myself was to feign innocence. The only obstacle was making my lies credible. I had no choice but to play along in the Prilumi's sick game unless I desired to face the consequences. I didn't want to know what they were.

"You're stalling."

My blood turned to ice. How did he know?

"I'm not stalling," I tried to convince him, chin trembling. My voice cracked. "Fine. I understand that you care for me and want to know everything that happened right away, so I'll do my best to calm down and give you the details."

"Give me the details." His stony expression was frightening.

My fear quickly spoiled over into irritation, and my nostrils flared. I wanted to hit him and shout, "You monster! All you care about is interrogating me! You don't truly care about me!" Instead, I inhaled deeply and then exhaled.

Where to begin?

"The ghosts that barged in had a purpose in being there," the quarterback vaguely said to help me start. He lapsed into silence again and waited for me to speak.

I shook my head in what I prayed was disbelief. "I don't know. I have no idea why ghosts just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I have always thought they were a part of fantasy, but I guess after this morning seeing is believing."

The corners of his mouth twitched into a frown. My answer must have disappointed him. Then he blinked as if something occurred to him, and he smiled kindly at me, slowly. "If I'm not mistaken, the ghosts mentioned Danny Phantom and hauled you out of there... For all I know you could have met with him before I found you and are faking stupidity. Tell me,"—we stopped walking, and he turned to me and leaned closer—"where is he?"

I froze.

Ugh! Boy was he trying to drive me into a corner!

I leaned away and giggled nervously. "What are you saying, Spencer? And who's Danny Phantom?" I made sure to crease my brows to look confused.

"Don't lie to me."

I wanted him to tell _me_ the truth.

I pushed him away in frustration. "Ugh, Spencer! I'm not lying! Why are you being so weird?"

"Why are you so mad?" he countered softly.

I wildly racked my mind for a response. "Because—because I'm confused," I settled for, pretending to surrender.

"Confused?"

"Yeah. I don't know why ghosts came and kidnapped me." I needed to be careful in my word choice; one wrong word could reveal that I was awakened from my slumber and utterly blow my guise. "They were taking me somewhere, but I managed to escape. I hid in this alleyway, and then you came along."

"Really? You looked like you were grieving," my so-called boyfriend pressed. He didn't believe me.

I vehemently disagreed, "I wasn't grieving. I was crying because I didn't know if I was going to die, or something. Who knows what those ghosts could have done to me?"

"But,"—Spencer bided his time—"I don't think they intended to kill you. Rather, they intended to take you somewhere. To someone."

I snorted and flipped my wrist. "Oh, please. I'm not anyone special. Why would a bunch of ghosts pay attention to me?" Now the tables were turned, and I was the one pressuring him to explain. Anything to distract him. And hopefully learn something.

He paused. "You weren't afraid in the classroom. How can you be afraid of them ending your life outside the classroom?"

"Don't try to change the subject. Besides, you didn't seem to be scared, either. Why's that?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

His pause was longer this time, and he averted his gaze. "I don't know," he murmured. "I guess I was just assuming things."

"That's probably the case," I affirmed, breathing an inner sigh of relief. It felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had triumphed in our verbal battle. Yet, I needed to arm myself for the battles I was sure to face ahead. I stood straighter.

The enemy narrowed his eyes but remained silent.

"Spencer?"

His chocolate-brown eyes went back to me, watchful. "Yeah?"

I gave him the sweetest smile I could muster, which sickened me. "Thank you for worrying about me."

"You're welcome." His smile and eyes didn't match.

We strode now on the sidewalk. I was unfamiliar with this part of town, and Spencer delivered me no hints at how to return to school. He walked slightly behind me, and I sensed him staring at my back.

"Hey, Spencer?" I halted, and he stopped, as well, like a shadow. "Do you believe in ghosts? I'm just wondering."

I could see the gears turning in his head. How was he going to respond to a question that meant to trap him?

"Yes" was his short answer. Short was safe.

"How come?" I kept my tone light and friendly, at the same time curious.

His eyes looked at me sharply, although his smile remained pleasant. "Don't laugh at me, okay?"

"Yesterday I would have laughed at you, but after what happened today I empathize with you. I now believe ghosts exist, too," I reminded him.

"They're not really ghosts, though," he spoke under his breath.

"What?"

"Never mind. It's complicated. Anyway, I've always believed ghosts existed. Illinois is the most haunted state in the U.S., actually. Did you know that?"

I shook my head.

Spencer continued as he moved forward on the sidewalk, "I don't understand why that is, but somehow I attract ghosts. Do I have a sixth sense? I don't know. I'm just more sensitive to their presence than most people; I'm able to feel their energy. They hate me. They threaten to kill me and encourage me to commit suicide. I hate them, too."

My lips parted in surprise. If he was honest with me this time I didn't expect to hear his side of the story like that. Then again he could've been spewing a fountain of lies or twisting truth. "Do they...hurt you?"

"I don't let them."

I was not surprised at this part, but I feigned as if I was taken aback. "How?"

I flinched when he unexpectedly grabbed my shoulders, and my heart rate sped. He forced me against the brick wall of a building, dark eyes blazing bright and dangerous. "Do you promise not to tell my secret?"

"Promise." I gulped.

"I'll trust you on that, then. I've never told my secret to _anyone_." Spencer appeared to relax. "The truth is: my parents are secretly ghost hunters. Whenever there's a ghost in sight they creep into the scene and suck it into a thermos, which is a technological device that traps spirits inside if pointed in their direction. It's a side job. They keep it quiet to avoid competition with other ghost hunters while earning all the money."

"Huh?" Now I was genuinely baffled. "How do your parents earn money for catching ghosts when no one knows they did it?"

"They send word to the government with a special electronic device," he replied almost too smoothly, which raised my suspicions of him deceiving me.

"I still don't understand why this is such a big secret to keep."

His face was livid. "Alexei! You must not understand the ghost hunting world. It's become a well-paying job and a dangerous one at that. Not only is it humans against ghosts, but it is also humans against humans."

His answers were so vague and only raised questions—and my suspicion. Vague answers were usually lies in disguise.

I let it drop. Any more nosing and he would know for a fact that I was no longer oblivious to reality. My tampered memories were now corrected. I wasn't about to let my enemies taint my mind's purity again to control me.

"C-can we go back to school, now? After escaping from the ghosts and all our talking, I'm exhausted," I moaned, raising a hand dramatically to my forehead.

Spencer let out a deep breath. "We can't."

"Why not?"

"The school was shut down due to the ghost incident but will probably open back up in a few days. Ghost hunters have been called in to investigate, and they will let us know when the school is safe to enter again."

"Oh." I blinked. "Looks like there won't be school for a while, then."

"Yeah." He shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped back to let me move away from the wall. "Are you still feeling up to the amusement park after lunch?"

A trap question was flung right back at me out of the blue.

Really?

My heart sank. I desperately wished I could escape, as I was already being driven insane. Here I thought the guy was beginning to no longer suspect my ignorance, but now I realized he had a strong grasp on that notion. If I said yes, then it would clash with all my claims of being terrorized and exhausted by my kidnapping. And believe me, I loved amusement parks. In fact, an amusement park would distract me from my predicament for a while with its fun and entertainment. Yet, if I said no, I would lose that precious method of escape from reality. On the bright side, my acting would be more realistic.

I shook my head sadly. "I'm really sorry, but I think we should cancel. I've had enough excitement for one day."

The enemy looked thoughtful. "I understand."

* * *

My boyfriend showed the way back to the school parking lot, where two lone vehicles, my car and his Ram truck, painted a bloody crimson, waited. We said our goodbyes, got into our vehicles, and drove off. I was painfully aware that I would be greeting another fraud inside the house, one who called herself my mother, and I needed to sum up my courage to behave properly until I could have some time alone. I couldn't wait to get away from everybody. I needed to breathe.

When I entered the house, the female stranger enveloped her arms around me in a bear hug. "You're back early! What's up?"

"I'm okay, I guess," I informed in a small voice.

She looked at me in what was supposed to be concern. "Aww, sweetie, what happened?" If all the other spies had compared notes with this Denise lady on the day's events, she was hiding her knowledge pretty well.

"I got kidnapped by ghosts," I blurted.

Mom gave me a blank expression. "Excuse me?"

I launched into my story with wide, intense eyes: "Spencer and I were in math class when, all of a sudden, a bunch of ghosts appeared and started attacking us. This bizarre robot-type ghost with a skull-like face and fiery green hair shot a net at me and phased us through the wall. I was trapped in a glowing icy-blue net over the ghost's shoulder, and we flew and landed in an alleyway, and uh, and uh, I escaped. Spencer went looking for me, and he found me. I was bawling my eyes out."

Her polite smile was plastered on her face like a mask as if she wasn't sure what to think. "Uh huh. You have an amazing imagination."

I was speechless at her reaction. "But, Mom, I'm not making things up. Ghosts are real!"

Mom looked at me as if I was speaking another language. I didn't expect her to deny the existence of ghosts when Spencer openly admitted his belief. If they were both working for the Prilumi, why were their beliefs on opposite ends of the pole? Unless...

Unless Denise was lying to me. If she was part of the cult then she must've believed in the existence of ghosts but was hiding it for a reason.

"Spencer believes in ghosts. I'm serious. He'll tell you." I gestured toward an invisible Spencer with my hand.

"That's interesting." She did not look interested at all. "I think you stayed up too late last night and are suffering from sleep deprivation. Why don't you take a short nap before we eat lunch?"

"Fine!" I snapped. I was fed up with all this lying, both on my part and everyone else's part. "I'm going to go to the bathroom first."

I angrily marched upstairs to the bathroom connected with my bedroom. The light blue rug, shower curtain, and polka dot walls were meant to instill a calmness in whoever entered, but to me, at this very moment, blue represented depression.

In this bathroom where I was sure no one could spy on me, I dwelled on my captivity. A world that appeared free deceived me. There was no dank, dirty cell with iron bars. This world tried to persuade, "You're living an ordinary life. Enjoy G-d's creation until the very end of your physical existence. Afterwards is Life after Life!"

And the end of my life would be when they found my father. My life was in the hands of the Prilumi.

Deceit.

This world oozed with deceit.

I burst into tears. I couldn't hold it any longer. I had to admit I was terrified. It was appalling that I didn't fear ghostly enemies, yet I feared humans. But then again, they were humans. I didn't have an issue fighting against ghosts because they were already deceased. Humans, on the other hand, were alive. Harming another human was against my morals; I just couldn't bring myself to do such a thing.

And yet, I knew they wouldn't hesitate to harm me. I cried when Dad left me, and I was crying now.

Why?

I wished I had remained blind! Knowing the harsh truth sliced through my very being. I wanted to curl up in a hole and die.

"I don't want to leave this bathroom!" I wailed, pacing back and forth. "This is my safe haven where I can be free!"

But a tiny voice inside my heart told me not to run away. I was a warrior that faced a massive obstacle like David faced Goliath. And in the end, David was victorious. Why couldn't I hope for the same results David had? He killed the giant with a mere sling and a stone. Maybe I didn't need to use my ghost powers to defeat my foes; maybe all I needed was faith and careful planning. Besides, what if there were sensors installed in my house that detected ghost energy?

"Please," I wept, shakily raising my hands in the air. "Please be strong through this tribulation! I'm strong! I'm brave! I can face my foes standing tall! I will not fall!"

Gazing into the mirror at my helpless, bloodshot violet eyes, tear-stained cheeks, and my nose, which was red and swelled twice its size whenever I cried, I squared my jaw in determination.

I would not fall. I was a warrior!

* * *

That night my dreams were plagued with nightmares. Green ectoplasm pooled all around me and dripped off the metal table, on which I was strapped. My white hair was stained with the stuff, my neon green eyes wide with agony.

When I awoke at midnight, I tossed and turned restlessly until I convinced myself I couldn't go back to sleep. My mind was haunted by the nightmare. Groaning, I slipped out of bed to get a glass of water from the kitchen downstairs to calm me. I lethargically came halfway down the spiral staircase when I realized the living room light was on, and hushed voices were present.

It was hard to breathe.

I heard my mother's voice say my name.

Cautiously, I craned my neck and peered around the corner of the wall. I shouldn't have been surprised by the sight I beheld; nevertheless, fresh feelings of betrayal pulsed through my veins. Sitting on the couch and chairs were Shelby, Meg, and a few other so-called friends from school. They were listening attentively to Spencer and my mother speak.

"Of course," my boyfriend replied to a question Denise had asked. "After we found the bait's location with the spectral radar, I interrogated her but received no blatant sign that her mind was free from our control. There is one thing that concerns me, however."

Mom's eyebrow raised. "Which is...?"

"While we were in math and the demons appeared, the bait showed no signs of fear. I don't understand why. We programmed her mind not to believe in ghosts to keep her as far from the truth as possible. The more she lives a life different from her previous life, the less hazard in our plan going wrong. Although I'm not positive, I have a hunch that there may have been a glitch in our programming."

"You've got to be kidding me," Mom hissed.

"I hope I'm wrong. A glitch could mean some of Alexei's suppressed memories were not completely suppressed during the session. When she saw the demons she might not have remembered them, but there is a possibility she might have remembered how she felt around them. Our system is not perfect, you know?"

"True."

Spencer continued, "We may need to ask the Cobra Head for permission to do another session just to be safe. I'm sure he'll approve, and the programming machine will be ready in a week or so for the bait."

Mom nodded thoughtfully, her dark brown curls bobbing. "That's a fine idea, actually. Alexei is not responsible enough to keep up with any appointments that arise in her life, herself. I could tell her that she has a dermatologist's appointment that day for a check up. You know she has acne all down her chest and back."

My boyfriend nodded his head in approval. "If all goes well with the Cobra Head's decision, then that will be our course of action."

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! It was enough to set my eyes brimming once more with tears as the cruel truth sunk in that I was alone.

Alone in my troubles. No one was here to help me. No one in the world probably was in the same dilemma I was in. I imagined myself decked in shining medieval armor, a double-edged sword in hand, standing at the peak of a hill while a swarm of enemies raced up the hill all around me. Battle cries echoed in my mind.

_Oh, G-d! Help me!_

I wanted to flee but remained rooted in my spot with a death grip on the wooden banister.

"Any news on Danny Phantom?" Mom expectantly looked around at the room full of people.

"No sign." An African-American girl called Jacqueline frowned. "We're still searching for him. However, we did spot a strange spectral aura that appeared, disappeared, and appeared again on the radar while following the bait and a demon this morning. It could have been our target, but there's no proof."

"Interesting. We'll discuss this more extensively later."

Meg inquired, "What's the plan for tomorrow since the school shut down?"

Spencer and Mom shared a glance before the woman shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to improvise. One thing's for certain: we must never let the bait out of our sight."

"I have an idea," Shelby offered. "Let's all pretend that Friday is my eighteenth birthday. We'll keep her preoccupied this week with planning for a surprise party and buying presents."

"Then that's settled," Spencer agreed. "I hope you all have a good night. We have a busy day tomorrow. Good work, everyone."

Everyone rose to leave, chattering quietly, and Mom turned to walk up the stairs. I panicked and stepped backwards, almost tripping. The stairs creaked.

I cringed. The sound was deafening.

The chatters immediately hushed. I knew everyone's heads had whipped toward the staircase.

* * *

**A/N: As I finished this chapter, my heart was genuinely pounding. When I write, I feel like I'm not the one in control; it's as if I'm watching a movie and recording what I see. I'm so scared for the heroine, Alexei! Wish her luck, guys! She's going to need lots of it in order to survive in the next chapter.**

**Reviews returned!**


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